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Detroit Lions wide receiver Ryan Broyles made his season debut against the Washington Redskins on Sunday, catching three passes for 34 yards while playing 17 snaps in the game. He was inactive the first two games of the season as he worked his way back from a torn right ACL last December. Broyles also suffered a torn ACL during his senior season at Oklahoma, but the Lions are likely to look to expand his role as long as his knees hold up.
The Lions were not particularly deep at wide receiver to begin with, but Nate Burleson suffered a broken arm in a car accident on Tuesday morning and is out indefinitely. Burleson leads the Lions in receptions (19) and is second in receiving yards (238) so far this season, and Patrick Edwards missed Week 3 with an ankle issue, leaving his status for Week 4 against the Chicago Bears up in the air right now. Detroit may look to trade for a wide receiver this week, but Broyles is still likely to have a significant role going forward. Should fantasy football owners look to add him?
Broyles had a touchdown reception in each of the first two games he had a catch in last season, and he finished his rookie campaign with 22 receptions for 310 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games played. His best game was a six-catch, 126-yard effort against the Houston Texans in Week 12, but Broyles was injured the following week and missed the rest of the season.
Broyles has immediate appeal as a waiver wire addition in PPR leagues, but expectations should be kept in check since he may remain on a snap count over the next few games. That said, as the Lions’ primary slot receiver he has tremendous upside if healthy and is worth stashing on a fantasy roster with bye weeks coming.
Brad Berreman is a contributing writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradberreman24.
